From The National Post
Forty-five years have passed since humans last set foot on an extraterrestrial body. Now, the moon is back at the centre of efforts not only to explore space, but to create a permanent, independent space-faring society. The ConversationRead more here: http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/a-gas-station-in-space-new-plans-call-for-mine-on-moon-to-turn-ice-into-rocket-fuel-for-mars-missionsPlanning expeditions to Earth’s nearest celestial neighbour is no longer just a NASA effort, though the U.S. space agency has plans for a moon-orbiting space station that would serve as a staging ground for Mars missions in the early 2030s. The United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing, is planning a lunar fueling station for spacecraft, capable of supporting 1,000 people living in space within 30 years.
Billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Robert Bigelow all have companies aiming to deliver people or goods to the moon. Several teams competing for a share of Google’s US$30 million cash prize are planning to launch rovers to the moon.
We and 27 other students from around the world recently participated in the 2017 Caltech Space Challenge, proposing designs of what a lunar launch and supply station for deep space missions might look like, and how it would work.
Right now all space missions are based on, and launched from, Earth. But Earth’s gravitational pull is strong. To escape Earth’s gravity, a rocket has to be traveling 11 kilometers a second – 40,000 kilometres per hour!
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